FOREST AND STREAM 
117 
On one of the last days in September I went with a friend for 
black bass, when he proposed to change rods. I at first de- 
clined, ns I feared I would injure liis rod, but Us he insisted, 
by complimenting me on my experience, I accepted the prof- 
ferred exchange. The rod was a Leonard make, of eight 
ounces, split bamboo. I made a few casts when something 
lively struck my bait, and when satisfied I had the lad hooked 
1 allowed him a short play. On account of snags, and being 
assured I had a lively customer to contend with, and what to 
me seemed a frail rod, with all his stubbornness I raked him 
to my feet, netted and landed him in what I thought was good 
style, and he proved to be a black bass of three and a quarter 
pounds weight. This, to me, seemed a thing of life, in compa- 
rison with anything I had ever used. 
I never take a black bass from the water void of a reveren- 
tial thought of Mr. Samuel T. Tisdale, really the prime mover 
and benefactor to the sporting circle of this community, by 
the introduction of that fish, a patrimony for all time, without 
money or price. I hope no man— in fact, no true sportsman- 
will take black bass or any other game fish during the close 
season ; but, perchance, there be such in our community, they 
are unworthy the name of man, and much less the honored 
name of a sportsman, and they should be infamously branded 
by the true sporting circle as frauds. Cybos Lisoom. 
Wareham, Mass., March 0. 
Carrying Coal to Newcastle. — That is what it 6eems 
at first thought. Mr. E. S. Marks, one of Seth Green’s efficient 
helpers, has visited the State hatchery at Caledonia for the 
purpose of taking back to the Felton chain of lakes about 
200,000 brook and salmon trout, 100,000 of each. In the 
hatching-house near the Old Forge House 200,000 frost fish 
are to be hatched and placed in the waters. The advantages 
of this location for hatching purposes are now so apparent 
that it is considered certain that the State will establish a per- 
manent State Hatchery there, to supply all the northern quar- 
ter of the public domain with fry. 
—The number of whiteflsh spawned at the Wisconsin State 
Hatchery this season will approach seven millions. 
.. — •* — 
— Esopus Creek, Kingston, N. Y., has been stocked with 
black bass and yellow perch. 
Minnesota. — Wm. Golcher, one of the State Fish Commis- 
sioners of Minnesota, hns resigned his office and gone to Cali- 
fornia to reside. The vacancy is to be filled by the Governor. 
Dr. Kobt. O. Sweeny is the present sole incumbent in the 
Commission. 
— ■> . 
— The French Society of Acclimatization, of Paris, has just 
acknowledged the receipt of a shipment of brook-trout eggs 
from Seth Green. They were first packed in the usual man- 
ner and then placed In a refrigerating box, and that arrived 
in excellent condition. 
attiml j§istorg< 
HABITS OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. 
Editor Forest and Stream : Montreal, Feb. 8, 18l». 
The days of my boyhood were spent near Sheldon, yermont, and 
In my youtbfnl rambles, gun In hand, through the forests that sur- 
rounded my native borne, I fear that I was an inveterate young pot- 
hunter, for it was my favorite sport to stalk and shoot the cock grouse 
on their drumming logs— a feat that requires no small amount of pa- 
tience and stealthy creeping. I remember one day, when I was follow- 
ing through the uudorbrush and trying to get a shot at a drummer 
that had run off from his log, before I could draw a bead on him hs 
ran towaid anolhor drumming log that was also occnplcd by a male 
grouse. As the first one appraached 1 saw tlic possessor of this log set 
his feathers up on end anti draw In his heud, spread his tall oat like a 
fan over bis b .ck, and with wings also spread and hanging down by 
his side, lie slowly strutted along the log In a style that would have 
caused any beholding Thomas Gallopavo to have died with envy. At 
hi# appearance, the bird that I was following made himself as small as 
possible, and darted rapidly away through the brush. The occupant of 
the log, after turning several times slowly around, lowered his crest 
and started In pursuit of the Intruder. 
Some years after this occurrence I was tracking on the snow a covey 
of grouse. W hen I catne In sight of them they ran Into a spruce 
thicket, and ns I approached this thicket one of the birds came out and 
slowly approached me with feathers up on end, and with wings and 
tall spread, looking like an animated ball of feathers. . I watched his 
actions foe a few moments as he strutted toward me, turning slowly 
from side to side, then I knocked him over with a charge of No. 6 shot. 
Ho was an unusually large old cock-gronse, evidently the patriarch of 
the flock. Three yeats ago last November, while shooting grouse In 
the woods that bordor the Black Klver, at the rear of this islaud, 1 
passed over Mud' Creek Into a narrow strip of -bush that covers the 
point of land between the creek and river, where my spaniel Hashed a 
grouse, wbloli, with leathers up tmd head drawn In close, fluttered 
slowly along toward me In n wavering, hesitating manner, as If he had 
a half mind to Btop and give battle to his disturber. After he had 
passed me I oovored him and pulled the trigger. Snap! a mlss-flre. 
and the bird droppe l into a thicket of sage-brush and wild grass. I 
replaced the defective cartridge with a fresh one, and sent my clog to 
pnt the bird up ngalu, but though ho coursed that patch of brush 
through and through he failed to fin'd his gauio again. The following 
autumn X had a slml.ar ocorreuce happen me. When shooting 
grouse on the burnt lands that He north of the river St. Maurice, a few 
miles above Three Rivers, my dog flushed there, out of the ferns, a 
grouso similar In appearance to the last one mentioned. I took a 
double shot at him at a long range, aud saw him slowly settle into Hie 
ferns, not over fifty yards from where I stood. I Instantly approached 
the spot aud remained In Its vicinity for nearly half an hour, while my 
dog workul over every yard of the ground around me, but failed to 
flud any trace of the bird. Both of the above case# puzzled me not a 
little, as my dog had u line nose and was well-trained to work on 
grouse. Their unusual appeal ance I could readily understand, for it 
was the same antagonistic spirit that caused them to set their feathers 
up that makes a “Tom Turkey’’ spread himself and a cat to get her 
back up when angered, to make themselves look as formidable to their 
foe# as possible ; but the failure of my cog to find those birds the sec 
ond time was a mystery to me, and probably would have remained so 
until now had I not Been it dearly proved through the columns of your 
valuable Journal that quail are glfied with the power or withholding 
their scent, and there Is no reason to doubt but that other Bpeoles of 
galllnacoous birds oro also endowed with the same power. 
Stan am ad. 
„ „ St. Paul, Minn., Fob. 11, ISIS. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
As I !iuvo noticed various discussions la tha Forest and stream 
about tho drumming of the ruffed gronse, aud havo found none to cor 
respond with my exporlenco, I will herewith glvo you my observation! 
regarding the above. Upon cirofuliy approaching the birds, I have 
found thorn sitting 1 ingthwise on -a log, and when in tho act of drum- 
ming they would lie down close on to the log, with their bead and 
nock stretched out, flapping or striking their wings against tho sides of 
the leg, which. It seemed to me, caused the drumming, and I think my 
theory Is correct, as I havo seen them plainly In the act. 
Truly, yours, J. P. 
Out 1 correspondent, Mr. Joseph Scott, writes us as follows r 
Your correspondent, “ R. T. M ," In your Issue of January 24, calls 
ths attention of correspondents to the fact that tho ruffed grouse In the 
western part of New York will almost always alight on a tree at the 
end of Its flight, while In Connecticut It very seldom doe# so. 
As to the above, I know nothing of tho habits of the ruffed grouse In 
the placeB momloned, bat I do a little In Muskoka, where It will Invari- 
ably alight la the trees In tho month of September, whon the birds are 
youug. Later on, say November, when the youug ones are strong on 
the wing and wild, they wUl often alight on tho ground. I have often 
flnBhed them as many as thcco times before they would ailght on the 
trees. 
I noticed last fall that they refused more than I ever saw them be- 
foro to ailght on the trees. What the reasoa was I don't know, unless 
It was because the ground was more free from snow than any previous 
year to my knowledge. 
Our Hartford correspondent, “T S. 8.,’’ gives hia experi- 
ence of king partridges in the following words : 
I notice recently several references to “king" partridges. A year 
ago, a irlend of mine came home with a small bag of game, and ac- 
counted for the f set by saying that lie aad spent the afternoon chasing 
a “ turkey.” Upon belug called upon to explain, he said hp had eeen a 
partridge a9 large as a tnrkey, bat could not secure It. Tho following 
day I went with him after the phenomenon, and sure enongh wo fonnd 
her. She Unshed wild, but I marked her coarse, and on following, 
Bob pointed her near a fence cover. She gave mo a fair shot, and I 
bagged her. We had no means of weighing her, but I should think she 
would weigh 2j< lbs.. Was It a “ king partridge?" 
King Partridges. — Mr. Editor: Much has already been 
written on the ruffed grouse question, but “the pen is 
mightier than tho gun,'’ and I think the birds can stand it if 
you can. I am another of these favored mortals who have 
seen the “king” partridge, and as I find there are people 
who give the theory credulity, 1 will tell you what I know 
about kings. On one of the islands of Lake Wiunipesaukee, 
in a warm day in March, I passed through a belt of timber, 
and, coming into the open on the sunny uillside, saw, about 
100 yards from me, what had ail the appearance in size and 
style of a cock turkey strutting in the fullness of his pride. 
Ah! thought I, some lover of solitude has chosen this 
island on which to enjoy his political views and eat his roast 
turkey undisputed. While looking about me to discover 
other signs of civilization, I was soon discovered, and a 
whizzing of well-known wings announced the sudden disap- 
pearance of my supposed gobbler ; hut as he flew away in a 
very unkinglike manner, accompanied by his mate, he ap- 
peared no larger than the average bird. This was in days be- 
fore the era of the F. & 8., so I did not then know there was 
a race of kings in the family of Bonasa umbeUus, although I 
had heard stories of the mother of invention and the father of 
all rabbits, etc. Several interesting items in F. and S., in 
relation to shooting the ruffed grouse with the rifle, call to 
mind an incident which happened in the Maine woods where 
the birds were tame. I was shooting at their heads strictly. 
One old fellow sat on a limb about forty feet from the ground. 
My first shot missed, but the bird ducked liis head and looked 
inquiringly over and about him, wondering what was in the 
air. In the meantime I had ready another cartridge and put 
on him agaiu. This time he dropped on to the ground. On 
picking him up, imagine my surprise at being unable to find 
blood on him or a feather disturbed ; buta slight bruise on the 
side of the head showed where the bullet grazed as it passed, 
causing instant death. My experience has been that, where 
the birds were wild, if flushed late in the fall they generally 
fly a longer distance and alight on tree-tops; and O, shades 
of departed kings, how mafly times I have put on them with 
an ounce and a quarter as they whirled through the foliage 
expressed the usual lament that so maoy wounded birds hide 
away and die, while they probably were looking around for 
their supper ! M. 
Bromfidd House , Boston , March 12. 
SQUIRRELS AND EMASCULATION. 
Room of the Director of thb Mussum. i 
Buffalo, Feb. 23, 1818, f 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
1 Uave read the letters In yoor very valuable paper with regard to the 
emasculation of the squirrel, noticed by hunters. It seems to me clea 
that the greater number of reported cases of emasculation are founded 
on specimens in which the testes are actually present but temporarliyr 
concealed In the body. Where the testes have really been destroyed, I 
suggested to Prof. Linden that It might be the work of ffiafrus etiuucu- 
lalor, or au allied species of bot-fly. The natural history of these para- 
sites Is not well known. As to how many species we have In America, 
we shall know more when Boron osten Sackeu’s Catalogue is pub- 
lished, of which the manuscript Is nearly finished, as the author Informs 
me In a recent letter from Heidelberg. But that a fly really emascu- 
lates the striped squirrel (Tania* striatue) seems certain from Dr. 
FltcU’s observations The doctor reared the fly from grubs found in the 
testes, which were completely eaten out. Dr. Fitch suggests that the 
sqnlrre's endeavor to kill the grubs In the testesof Infected Individuals, 
and this action has been mistaken for an unfriendly act of castration. 
The suggestion that the grabs could not penetrate the outer envelope 
of the testes seems to me disproved by Dr. Fitch's experiments; be- 
sides, insects are well known to penetrate more dense anil tougher sab- 
stances. 1 think we niiiBt wait for more facts In tho matter. First, we 
most have irolv emasculated red and gray squirrels; secondly, we 
must find out If this condition 1 b caused by a bot-fly ; thirdly, we mast 
and out If this fly Is the same as the one fonnd by Dr. Fitch destroying 
the testes of the striped squirrel. Dr. Fircb seems to have adopted the 
belief that all the st Ties of emasculated squirrels were true. We may 
find, however, that the cases of emasculation are comparatively rare. 
In tha meantime It Is evident that Forsst and Stream has added to 
the numerous obligations which naturalists already owe Ir, by olearlng 
up many mtsandemtandlngs In the present matter. 
Very respectfully, A. R . Gbote 
Buffalo, N. Y., Feb. 28, 1S78. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
This controversy has at least exposed the fallacy of the popular, but 
utterly unsupported, belief that the castration la performed by tho st- 
uck of tho pugnacious red squirrel on tho older animal# of the same 
spooica. Emasculation, however, means dte'rvetian, uot periodical dis- 
location, by passage of tho testes through the Inguinal canal, whloh 
normally and abnormally may happen In other mammals, man Includ- 
ing. Liter evidence adduced by examination of duly emasculated 
squirrels will provo the correctness of Mr. FltcU’s observation, based 
upou the facts before him In the form of the grub of the Qintru*. and 
tho appearance from tt of the perfectly developed Insect. In conclusion, 
I cannot help but think lightly of tho foeblo obstruction offered to the 
progress of the boring larvic by the protective envelope, tunica vaginalis, 
when thlnklug of the powers exerted by many boring grubs, to which not 
even several Inches of solid Intervening wood offers any Impediment 
whatever, as illustrated by the ravages upon tlmbor through the agency 
Of many species of booties, suoh as Cttrculio and Bostryehut. 
Your, most truly, Charles Linden. 
Raltimshk, February 23, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun : 
I have been muoh Interested In your articles regarding the so- 
called einascul tlon of squirrels. Daring the past two year# I resided 
In a neighborhood where squirrels were numerous enough loin- a pest 
to the farmers, and a merciless warfare was then fore waged ogslost 
them the year round. I am of the opluton with you that the testicles 
oro not wan' lng, but only not discernible at ceituin seasons. At all 
seasons of the year I found the greater uuinher of squirrels shot— both 
fox and gray— to be matea ; and In spring— say from April 1— nearly 
every one of the fall grown mates appeared devoid of testes, and tho 
young, until about half grown, entirely so. In the fall I don't remum- 
ber seeing a slngle/uff groivn male on which tho organs were not fully 
developed. I have frequently seen a number of gray squirrels on one 
tree, Borne seemingly engaged In combat, tho objective point of attack 
appearing to be the testicles, but huve never observed any wonnd. 
Once, last fall, shooting two squirrels engaged In this manner, I found 
them to bo a male and female. This I* the only lusUncc I remember of 
shooting loth anlmalB whilst bo engaged, as I ordinarily hunted them 
with a rifle. But may It not be that these apparent combats ore a part 
of the amours of squirrels f Respectfully, Fruubkio*. 
East Bay^MIcIi., Feb. 4, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
My first experience on this subject was In tho you 1840. In tho 
spring, when young squlrrola were inaklugllielr appearance, I was ont 
hunting, and had Bat down to rest and Uku my lunob. While doing so, 
seven young gray and black squirrels mode their uppenrance near mo 
on an elm tree, on l commenced eating buds. Before I flnisbed my 
lunoh, an old gray squirrel went up the same tree aud commenced 
chasing the yonug ones, aad caught several of them In a very short 
time, which brought to my mind what I had often heard said, that the 
red or pine squirrels destroyed tho testicle in tho black and gray. I 
killed the entire lot, ulght In all, but was caroful to take the old ono 
first. The old one I found io bo a male, audihrccof tho youug ones 
were males, aad had been castrated, the blood still runulug from tho 
wound. The other four were fomales. I have seon tho samo thing 
take place sevoral tlme3 since, hut never by a red. and It was always 
done by old ones upon the young ; but I have good roason to, and do 
believe that tho red do tho same thing, from reliable persona of my 
acquaintance that have scon them do It. I noticed In an article elgnad 
“ Chill," a question asked, “ Why le It tho black is the only victim If It 
U an insect ?” I agree with “Chill " In reference to tho red, but have 
eeen as many of the gray as tho black affected In that way. 
I must confess that l am not inuoh of a believer In the Insect, os 1 
have never found it In that part of a sqalrrel. Where l was rnlsod wo 
called It a warble, which I suppose Is the same thing, and I never found 
any such & thing on a young squirrel in the spring, ont always on the 
old or fall grown in the fall. W. H. C. Mitchell. 
Newark, N. J , March 6, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
I have taken youug squirrels of different families from the nest up to 
tho time of weaning, and never yet fonnd them Injured. I think that tbs 
Idea that the old ones perform any operation on them Is absurd. After 
the young ones leave their parents, however, all family tie# and affec- 
tion cease, and the son Is as apt to lie mutilated by the father as by, any 
other squirrel. 
From observation of tho lights of grays, I am convinced that they 
emasculate each other. A friend of mine, a thorough naturalist, raised 
a family of three squirrels by means of a uurslog-bottle. Ono, a book, 
at one and a half years of age had testes fully dcvoloped ond apparent. 
A lamlly of grays lived unmolested In a troo almost overhanging tho 
naturalist's house, and one day the young back escaped from the house 
and ran up tho tree. In less than twenty minutes oar young specimen 
retarned a mutilated sqalrrel. Reds aro moro agtlo and muscular than 
tho grays, can dodge better, and give a heavy blow or thrust edgowlse, 
aud In a short time they drive from a grove almost all grays, and 
emasculate the unfortunate remainder. My friend, also, hud a pair of 
grays, which reared a family In captivity. I state this, because many 
deny that eqalrrels breed In captivity. 
I believe there 1 b great diversity In tho time or age of raatorlty In 
Squirrels. I have shot two males of the samo family exhibiting the 
greatest difference, and I think there 1« no uniform rule. A few years ago 
l took from the nest three gray# not a day old. A cat with kittens re- 
ceived one of them, contrary to all rules, and reared It along with 
three of her own trlbf. The kittens had the greatest affoctlon for their 
foster brother, except at dinner time, when a fierce battle for an avail- 
able teat invariably took place. However, this young Romulus grew 
and p;osp> re i. and it was uot until when he was eighteen months old 
that I could pronounce Him a book. O'hers I have seen follv devel- 
oped when about a year o’d. I do not tbluk tho (JUlru . # tmascuiaior has 
anymore to do with mutilating squirrel* than tho nomerous fleas 
which inhabit their downy coach. In some parts of America 1 have 
found this grub on almost every sqalrrel, especially reds, In others not 
at al, yet the number of those emasculated was about the same. In 
conclusion. 1 would say that I have seen so many exceptions to Owen 
and Huxley's rule that I tbluk there Is no Dxed rule at all. 1 have had 
dozenB of red In captivity during the breeding sea-on, aud dozens 
daring other times; have shot mauy of I hose captured ones, and on 
dissection found a# various results as could be imagined. Two male 
reds known to be of the samo litter, wore dissected, and the testes of 
odc wa# found securely hid under the sklD, while those of tho other wa* 
apparent without dissection. There 1«, therefore, no general rale, bat 
I am Inclined to thluk that congenital malformations are more 
numerous in squirrels than any other animals. C. u. crow. 
[We are glad to be able to publish tbe above communication 
from Prof Grote, and we recommend his suggestions to our 
correspondents. Opinions aro all very well, but they are in 
no sense evidence. What we want in this matter is facts , 
and not only facls, but facts established by close end accurate 
observation, not by a bosty jumping at conclusions. Until we 
dm obtain something more definite than mere expressions of 
opinion, then wc shall consider the discussion closed, to be re- 
opened only for the admission of absolute evidence.— E d.] 
